Windmill Lucy, an alternate fanfic
by JaxFanFictionversion
Summary: What would happen if Lucy got turned into a windmill kid? What would Claude do to help?  Couple of mistakes here and there typing this fic. LucyXClaude pairing. Rated K  for at least some certain content but maybe should be T for the suspense and drama.
1. Argument

_What would happen if Lucy was experimented in the windmill? Most say it's hopeless, Lucy could not save Hollow Fields. But that might not be such a destiny. There could be more… much more to such an alternate change in events. There is still Claude McGinty in the story. He already takes place officially as the secondary character. This story now revolves around him._

…..

*Location: Windmill*

Lucy was trying her best effort using enhanced toy/invention Dino to get a grasp of a pipe and climb out of their prison. This was futile for the pipe were wet and moist of fungus and other decomposing contaminants causing Dino to slip off.

"Hey Claude! I'm doing all the work here! You could be trying to 'help,' here you know!" Lucy said frustrated.

"What's the point? Look where we are Lucy. Look at the marks on the wall.." He pointed to scratches on the walls. Some were scratches marking how many days previous kids remained in the windmill. Others were drawings. "No one has ever managed to escape.."

"Simon escaped!" Lucy said trying to prove Claude wrong somehow.

"But not before they did something terrible to him. You saw him. We both did! Even Stinch looked scared of him."

"I've been thinking about something. Something I kept hearing about." Lucy began. "The 'Key to Hollow Fields'. People keep mentioning it whatever it is. Simon said it 'was the only way out of Hollow Fields'."

"Who knows what he really meant? It could mean anything. SIMON'S CHANGED! You can't trust anything he says!"

"And Doctor Bleak mentioned it too. I knew he was searching the coordinates for something. Something important. And I bet it was that key whatever it is-"

"Doctor Bleak!" Claude snapped. "Don't get me started on that contraption! I had nothing to do with that box and it's the very thing that got us stuck here in the windmill! If I come across it again, I'm gonna pry it open and pull out it's mechanical brains!"

"Don't you DARE say that!" Lucy yelled back.

"Lucy Don't you get it? Simon and that box will only cause more trouble! Getting involved with them will only cause trouble! Look again where we are now! It's hopeless!"

"Claude just listen-"

"If you had a second chance which you mostly might not, don't get involved with someone else in their business. I don't know how you encountered that box but next time, don't stick with those that will lead you into trouble!" Claude was in so much rage, those words would've been enough but he somehow unconsciously added "You Stupid girl!".

Those last words gave an impact. Lucy's expression of surprise was slowly turning into the expression of hurt. But before she could even express sadness, the cell door opened. Stinch and a few other engineers came in.

"Alright kiddies! Miss Weaver only wants one of you!"

The Engineers came over and grabbed Lucy by the arms. She struggled for dear life. Even if she didn't resist, they still would take her by force.

"Lucy!" Claude yelled out.

"Claude!" She yelled back for Claude.

Claude ran over but Stinch appeared in front of him and threatened to use his crook. "Back away kiddy!"

Lucy almost already out the door yells out "If I don't make it! Escape without me!" Already out of the cell, the door slams closed. Stinch also left.

Claude stood there with Lucy's last words repeating in his head. Another thought occurred telling him he can do something. But what? Claude's face faced the floor. He didn't know what to do. But then he hears "Claude? Claude McGinty?" coming from the drain on the floor. Claude recognized the voice immediately. It was Simon. "I can help you help Lucy."

_To be continued._


	2. The Rescue, Lucy loses her Memories

Simon said "I can help you help Lucy."

Claude only answered "And lead us to an even bigger mess? Forget it! I'd rather just rot in here than listen to you!"

"You'd be experimented by then!" Simon explained. "Sitting here won't help. You know that! It's not too late!"

"Hmph!" Claude try to ignore Simon as if he were lying. "How can you help me?"

"Not only can I help you escape but, you are her friend right? Otherwise more than a friend?"

Claude though about this. He thought of when Lucy rescued him from falling in Summer's lair. He'd remembered asking why Lucy rescued him from near death and Lucy answering "Because we're friends silly! Frankly, I've spent more time around you than any other student, even though it's by chance half the time!" Those words that time opened up his feelings for her somehow but kept them secret ever since. Now Lucy was a precious friend to him and he must get her back.

Claude went over and opened up the drain. "Alright, I'll follow you, but I want no funny business! Lead me to Lucy and quickly!" He dove down the drain.

…..

*Meanwhile*

Lucy was lead through a hall toward the room which turned every kid sent to the windmill into nonhuman beings that lead a similar life to an engineer of excreting steam from their backs, have skin with stitched patches on them, and have different color eyes from genetically normal.

When they entered the room, Lucy could smell more than just rusting metal and other objects, she could've sworn she smelt blood and other decomposing parts. The next thing she found herself strapped down to a table. "Put her to sleep. Then commence the operation!" She couldn't escape and the worst part was she didn't have Dino with her somehow….

…..

"Oof!" Claude landed after sliding through the twists and turns of the enormous pipes the drain lead directly to. He looked at his surroundings. Around him were series of steaming machines, glass capsules with some living things already in them, and other contraptions. The place he was in was huge.

Claude finally spotted Simon except that he now was dragging a ball and chain.

"Simon? Where is this?" Claude asked.

"This is the storage room where the engineers put all of us failed experiments."

"Failed experiments huh?"

"Yes." Simon concluded.

"What do you mean by us though, is there more?" 

"There are thousands of us now. Miss Weaver and the engineers have been working on some sort of secret project for eighty years. Since the school opened!"

"You don't mean…" Claude began. "Every kid they've sent to the windmill so far they experiment with them like some sort of lab rat?"

"There.. There is a machine in Weaver's tower." Simon said. "They hooked me up to a machine and almost all my memories went away.. Went away for good! N-now there's hardly any of me left! I'm a pile of remains held together by stitches…"

"I Don't know why but obviously that can't be good." Claude said. "Not only do we need to find out the reason why that old hag Miss Weaver is doing this but first we gotta rescue Lucy before it's too late!"

"Agreed!" Simon approved. "I know where that room is, that turns us into stitched beings and drains our memory. We have to get their quietly though for we don't want to wake the others or get ourselves caught."

"Right." Claude agreed. He follows Simon through the room. Eventually Simon finds the exit (which he can fit his ball through) and they go through there. Little did they know some of the other experimented kids were awake. They watched them exit the room not knowing what to do next until an experimented kid named Meg who turns out to be Claude's sister sent to the windmill says "Follow them! No one supposed to leave here!" With Meg leading the mob, they follow Simon and Claude.

…..

The surgery was complete. Lucy looked different than her original self. She still had her flaming red hair (looks orange to me ._.) and she still looked the same except that her skin was patched with stitches and was a pale green in color. The engineers have odd colored patched skin. She was no longer wearing her school uniform for the engineers either threw it away or put it somewhere else for she was wearing almost the same type of clothing like Simon did. Lucy wasn't awake yet due the anesthesia they gave her. It put her to sleep but somehow the pain of the surgery was still felt. (I guess they either put her to sleep didn't give her a pain killer or the engineers are plain jerks) Lucy was still alive and normal but she would never be able to notice the machine the engineers hooked her up to. This is the machine made to drain her memory and soul.

Miss Weaver came in making sure the process was going well and not heading off some negative direction. She ordered them to activate the machine. After she left, the engineers in charge of this part of Miss Weaver's cruel project did so as told. After adjusting the contraption's setting and all that crap, the machine sent an electrical charge through Lucy's body and began to take a fraction of her soul and memories.

….

Claude and Simon were rushing towards the direction the room where Lucy was in. Both of them knew if they didn't hurry, Lucy would've of lost all her memories or worse. Miss Weaver's experiment would've been another success (like how Francine's body would already be possessed by Miss Ricketts)for Miss Weaver would be the one to possess it (and I can't imagine Miss Weaver as Lucy running the school! O_O).

"There it is!" Simon said.

They finally reached the room. The engineers spotted them and tried to stop them. But Simon used his ball to knock the engineers one by one unconscious. Claude was having a bit of difficulty trying to shut the machine off. (idk what type to put in here, like the machine requires password or what!) While trying to figure it out, an engineer is about to catch Claude but is then knocked out by Simon. Finally all the engineers were unconscious and Claude was able to shut the machine down.

Claude caring about nothing else ran to Lucy who remained unconscious on the table. Claude noticed the stitches and the clothing. She was still alive for Claude's relief but what about her memories? Claude shook her awake. Finally she opened her eyes. Lucy's eyes were no longer blue. They were as red as Miss Weaver's and the other engineers. Lucy slowly sat up showing steam blowing out her back. She had two hole on her back but only one did not blow out steam.

"Lucy?" Claude said worriedly. "Do you remember me?" 'Oh god no!' He thought. 'Please remember! They better not have taken all your memories already!'

Lucy looked at Claude. Claude expected to be saying "Claude is that you?" by now. But all he got for her reaction was a confused and blank looking stare. This was obvious….. Claude was too late.


	3. The Windmill Children

Lucy just stared at Claude blankly. A sign of a confused expression was only slightly visible on her face. Claude didn't even know what to do to about this. He escaped through a drain, to where Simon was, ran all the way from the storage room to where he is now and thus so far he comes to see this. At least the engineers didn't do anything worse on Lucy than the state she is in now.

While Claude was occupied with Lucy, Simon somehow managed to find Lucy's uniform. The engineers shoved them in a small trash barrel, ribbon included (Again, JERKS!). Luckily they were clean, just a little stained.

"Simon!" Claude called. "I think Lucy lost her memories cause I don't think she recognizes me. What do we do?"

Simon thought for a second and then had an idea. "The machine you just shut off." He began. "It might of sent some data somewhere. Maybe even Lucy's memories!"

"Are you sure?" Claude asked.

"Well if this machine can absorb souls and memories, it must have sent the data somewhere." Both of them looked around then spotted a stand holding a mechanical sphere hooked up to the machine. "There!" Simon pointed. "That object might have them!"

Claude nodded. He helped Lucy off the table and was about to grab the sphere. Before he could, all of a sudden, some unwelcome guests make their exploding entrance through a wall. It was Meg and the rest of the experimented children. "There you are!" Meg yelled. "Simon, you shouldn't have left us! Anyone who tries to escape must be punished!" Meg turned her attention to Claude "But at least we have some 'newcomers'."

"Sis…. Sister?" Claude uttered out. "Meg it's me Claude! Your brother! Please recognize me!"

"That's right, new boy. Everyone is my brother and sister. We're like one big family aren't we children?" The rest of the mob agreed.

"So you lost your memory as well huh?" Claude said sadly. "Has everyone?"

"No one remembers a thing and it's bliss!" Meg said cheerfully. "No one remembers what they were here! And now soon your going to be one of us! It's a wonderful feeling!" Meg turned her attention to Lucy. "Oh looky here! Someone is one of us already! Isn't that wonderful children?" The children agreed with excitement.

Even though Lucy didn't have memories thus didn't know who's side she was on, Lucy hid behind Claude scared of not only so much of the excitement they were expressing but there were so many children at once.

Claude kept Lucy behind him. "Meg, don't even think about laying a finger on her! Leave Lucy alone! I mean it!" Claude yelled.

"Oooo! Feisty one aren't you?" Meg said with laughter. "Now how are we going to deal with you? I wonder…. Ah I know! Children, let's play a little game. Saw off the boy's legs so he won't get away. Then take the girl!"

The windmill children slid some saws they stored in their cloaks and began to surround Claude and Lucy. Simon jumped in ready to fight the windmill children off. Before anyone could proceed through their actions, the room began to shake. Something dangerous was going on outside of the windmill.

*what was going on outside was the teachers fighting for new bodies as happened in Volume 3.*

"What's going on out there?" Claude said to himself wondering.

Whatever was going on outside, parts of the ceiling were collapsing, some walls included. Some rubble fell on some of the windmill children.

Meg deciding this was too dangerous lead the mob away heading back towards the storage room.

Claude was again was about to grab the sphere but just to Claude's luck, huge chunks of rubble fell piling up on both the machine and the sphere. "NO!" Claude yelled in failure.

"Claude come on or we'll be squashed!" Simon yelled.

Claude didn't have much choice now. He ran for Simon but stopped to notice Lucy wasn't following him. He ran back to her. "Lucy come on!" Claude grabbed her wrist and they both ran towards Simon who was leading them out of the collapsing room.

….

*a few minutes after escaping destruction*

Claude, Simon, and Lucy decided to rest in a safe part of the windmill the would not collapse from whatever battle is taking place outside of it or be accessible for windmill children to find them and take them away. Claude and Simon were wondering what was going on outside the windmill.

"What's going on out there?" Claude wondered. "I could've sworn through the collapsing ceiling, I didn't just see missiles but some of the engineers inventions fighting. What were they fighting about?"

"Who knows?" Simon said. "What ever they were fighting about, if they keep up their reign of destruction, then all of Hollow Fields will be destroyed. We need to find some help to search through the rubble for that sphere and then the key to Hollow Fields."

"You mentioned that to Lucy earlier before she got experimented." Claude said. "This key to Hollow Fields must be the way out of the academy right?"

Simon shrugged.

"I see." Claude couldn't think of anything else to say or talk about at the moment. He looked at Lucy who was sitting at the corner hugging her knees. She already changed back into her uniform. "The kids in the windmill." Claude began. "Their memories have already been taken away but, did the engineers take something more from them?"

"Well" Simon thought about that. "Some of the other windmill kids. When they got their memories taken away, some of the skills they learned such as social skills or even what they learned from Hollow Fields was also taken away. I seen some of them just not mingle with the other kids around them. Some have even forgotten how to talk and thus remain silent. The rest of us are crazy enough but some of them are so crazy, the rest of us don't even get near them."

"So, the machine that took away their memories left some of the windmill kids with worse to deal with?" Claude asked.

"Yes."

"Thanks. That's as much as I need to know because for some reason, Lucy has been acting a little more strange than expected. I know that machine took her memories away but I didn't expect any worse than that though. She hasn't even spoke one word after I shut that contraption off."

"It's a possibility that the machine might of either effected her language or social skills." Simon looked at Lucy for a second than back to Claude. "By the looks of it, it might be social. Lack of memories often leads to lack of knowledge of companions one has made friends with so far. Forgetting how to make new friends is worse along with forgetting who one made friends with."

Claude looked at Lucy. She was still the same as she was minutes ago. 'Poor Lucy.' Claude thought. 'Having no memories and now lacking life skills, it must be hard on her…' Claude thought of a few classes he attended with Lucy who was always cheerful even though some of the projects given to her gross her out or give her the creeps. But she overcame those obstacles and was able to achieve high marks. In every success, Lucy smiled. What she learned from classes still left her smiling in the end. And now all those things she learned from Hollow Fields and some previous schools she worked so hard and learned from, most of those skills and memories are now stolen. Stolen from the horrid engineers lead by that horrible woman Miss Weaver. The one who took his sister away. The one who took the other students away. The one who lead all that she has sent to the windmill to live a horrible fate. Now, Claude must do something so Lucy doesn't live the same fate.

Claude stood up and looked at Simon in the eye. "Let's head for Summer's lair."

"Summer's lair?" Simon asked.

"Summer is a girl who hates me. Despite that, she and her friend might be able to help with searching for the sphere. Maybe on our way, we'll be able to find the key to Hollow Fields! It would be easier to get to her lair through the vent but I don't think your ball and chain can fit. Going outside and finding the entrance to her lair would dangerous and difficult though."

"I'll stay here then!" Simon said seriously.

"Stay? What if the windmill kids find you or worse? What if the engineers find you?"

"I'll take them down the same way I took on the engineers in that room with the machine! You don't have to worry!"

"Alright. Hope your still in one piece when I get back!" Claude went to Lucy. Lucy looked up. Claude offered a hand. "Lucy Come on!" Lucy gave an unsure look. "It's going to be alright!" Claude reassured with a slight smile. Lucy hesitated for a second, then grasped his hand. Both of them left the hiding place, found a vent and set off for Summer's lair….

To be continued…..


	4. Gathering Some Help

Claude kicked the hatch off and climbed out of the vent. It took them 30 minutes to crawl through the vent passageways in which some lead nowhere while others lead to other weird paths. Despite Claude's skills of finding ways through vents, pipes, and other passageways in Hollow Fields at his attempts of escape, he never explored this part of the academy before. It must've been only luck of some sort that he was able to make it to Summer's lair so far. Otherwise, he'd be stuck in the vents with Lucy for eternity or until the Windmill children found them.

Both Lucy and Claude after climbing out of the vents, noticed how quiet it was in Summer's hideout. That was only natural to Claude for when Miss Weaver found the place, she already had Mister Croach escort Summer and Carmen back to their rooms. Along with Summer and Carmen, she must've sent the other kids working with Summer back as well or worse.

Lucy doesn't remember that she's been in Summer's lair before. Claude was distracted in his thoughts whether or not he should go search for Summer and Carmen while Lucy began to wander off in curiosity. "Well, guess we got to search for the- LUCY!" Claude noticed her walking away. He ran to her and Lucy stopped for him. "Jeez, we got to stick together. Don't wander off like that okay?" Claude was about say more until he spotted something coming at them and fast. "LOOK OUT!" Claude pushed Lucy and himself out of the way of the creature that tried to squash them like pancakes. "What is that?" Claude wondered. "H-HALT INTRUDERS!" A Girl stuttered whiled riding on top the creature.

"Intruders?" Claude said confused.

"Y-Your not gonna perform brain surgery on _me, like your doing with Summer!" _

"_Carmen we're not-!"_

"_Animated zombie golem, ATTACK!" Carmen yelled. The beast used it's limb to try and hit Claude and Lucy but it missed as Claude and Lucy evaded it. The golem turned it's attention to Claude. "Yipe! It's lookin' at me!" Claude screamed. Lucy stared at the situation. "HELP!" Claude yelled out. "It's after me and it looks hungry!"_

"_Prepare to be STOMPED on, you evil kidnapper!" Carmen said with a vengeance. _

_If Lucy wasn't experimented or hadn't she lost Dino, she would've been able to stop this cat and mouse chase. Despite her lack of memories and skills, she didn't like the current situation Claude had to go through. This had to be stopped. Lucy picked up a rock from one of the places the golem smashed into and threw it at the creature that was busy chasing Claude. It stopped and turned it's attention towards Lucy and ran after her instead. Lucy waited for it to get close enough for when it did, Lucy sprinted out of the way and it crashed against one of the structures that most of the kids working with Summer built. It knocked the golem out cold and Carmen fell off it. Claude ran over to Lucy. "Lucy! Thank goodness your okay! But that was dangerous you know! Never mind. As for Carmen over there.." _

"_Noooo!" Carmen begged frightened. "Please, engineers… P-please don't take me to the tower… I'm to young to-to-to go through whatever they do to you there!"_

"_We aren't engineers you idiot!" Claude said annoyed. "It's about time you got your haircut- you obviously can't see properly!"_

"_Claude? It's you!" She said relieved. Then she started panicking. "Summer! knocked her out, and he's taking her to the principle's tower to do some EXPERIMENT on her! Something with a… psycho trasmigrator.. A-and swapping bodies!"_

"_Swapping bodies huh?" Claude said wondering. "Swapping bodies of course! The engineers are eliminating children's memories to leave them with nothing inside! This is probably done in efforts of taking their soul out leaving their bodies empty. The engineers are transferring themselves into the bodies of children as a way of living longer like some IMMORTAL! The windmill children are failed experiments because they couldn't suck their soul out! We have to stop Mister Croach from trying to suck Summer's soul out before either Mister Croach steal her body or she'll become like Lucy!"_

"_Lucy?" Carmen asked. "What happened to…" When she turned to Lucy standing next to Claude, she gasped. "Oh no! Don't tell me she-!"_

"_Yeah.." Claude concluded seriously. "I was able to stop the machine sucking her memories but I wasn't able to get their fast enough. She still has her soul but she doesn't remember me, Summer, or what Hollow Fields is. Carmen, what they're doing is not just wiping away the memories of kids, but they also are taking away their skills and knowledge until they have their entire soul contained!"_

"_I don't want that happening to Summer! We gotta find her before she gets experimented!"_

"_She might already be!"_

"_I'm not leaving her to be experimented!"_

_Claude sighed in frustration. "Fine, we'll find her, but we are going to have to borrow your golem. The quicker getting to her, the better. After rescuing her, I need you and her to come with me and help me get through the rubble back at the tower and search for something important. I'll explain after we get Summer!"_

_Carmen agreed. They went up to the golem. The creature laid down for them to climb on. Carmen climbed before Claude helped Lucy up. All of a sudden, they heard explosions coming from the surface. "Something is going on in the school grounds above us…" Claude said. "Let's go!" _

_Carmen's golem to her, Claude, and Lucy out of Summer's lair and headed for the surface._

…

_The school grounds already became a war zone as teacher's were blasting missiles and other weapons at each other with their inventions and creatures. Buildings were being demolished, ripped, and blown apart by all the chaos let loose by the ever angry teachers. _

_It was dangerous enough risking being within the danger, running out of it was a challenge for Carmen, Claude, and Lucy. The golem already has risked being hit by a teacher's missile. _

"_It looks like the teachers are fighting!" Claude yelled. "We better hurry up!"_

_Carmen understood and made the Golem run faster. Avoiding any missiles coming toward it and avoided coming close with teacher in the middle of battle._

…

_Mister Croach lay and strapped Summer to a table. "Now let's see… these straps go here.. Fasten under here… wouldn't want you to wander off while I'm removing tour brains would we?_

"_Hey!" Summer yelled. "Help! Help! I'm being abducted by this mean old zombie! He's after my brains! He's gonna-!" In less than a second, the old grump strapped a piece of duct tape over Summer's mouth to shut her up. "That should take care of that annoying voice of yours Brat!" Croach said glad to not have to hear her ditsy tone. "Now I do believe I do have one of Weaver's 'personality' containers with me. Let's see…. Ah!" He shuffled and found the same type of sphere that stored Lucy's memories. He placed the container into the machine. "And pretty soon you'll be sitting in under a shelf somewhere collecting dust… like Doctor Bleak!"_

_Meanwhile, Carmen, Claude, and Lucy are approaching where Summer is. "Wow…" Carmen said. "The students used to damage to school so much… I never thought it would finally get taken down by the teachers!" Carmen stopped the golem. "I can't see anything, the smoke is thick in here…"_

"_What's that noise?" Claude asked. They heard gears of a machine clanking. The same noise that even the machine that stole Lucy's memories made._

"_Over there! Look!" Carmen pointed._

"_It's.."_

"_What is that?" Carmen asked._

"_The same type of machine that stole Lucy's memories."_

_Croach was laughing evilly while the machine began to hurt Summer and take her memories. Mister Croach couldn't wait to have his own body both fresh and young! Despite he'll be transferring into a little girl's body, at least he won't have to worry about falling apart or losing a limb. Despite his dislike of children, he craved to feel the youth again. _

"_CHAAARGE!" Carmen yelled. Her golem bit into Mister Croach's hood and shook him around like a mad dog. It then threw Croach over. "Time to put a stop to this contraption!" Claude said as he went ahead and turned off the machine._

_Carmen went over to Summer and unstrapped her. _

"_Summer! Are you alright? Are you still.. Y'know? You?"_

"_Uhhh….." Summer groggled. She sat up. "Y.. you.." She grabbed Carmen's shirt. "MORON! Why didn't you get here sooner? That monster nearly turned me into an experiment! Wait until Daddy finds out!"_

"_Oh Summer! I'm so glad you're okay!" Carmen cried. "We came as fast as we could…."_

"_And we need to hurry up!" Claude stated. "This place is going to collapse any second!"_

"_You! McGinty! Are you here to challenge me again?" Summer yelled._

"_Now is not the time Polanski!" Claude yelled back not wanting to fight._

"_And what is SHE doing here?" Summer said angrily pointing at Lucy who gets a bit surprised at Summer and hides behind Claude. "What the? What's wrong with her?"_

"_I'll explain later! Let's get on the golem and get out of here!"_

_They all climbed onto the golem, and headed for the windmill._

…_.._

_The golem entered through a large hole created by the destruction of the teachers into the windmill. Claude, Carmen, and Lucy climbed off the golem except Summer._

"_Why are we here?" Summer asked annoyed. She rather get out of the school then end up in one of the last places she kept her grades up avoiding to get sent to._

"_I need you guys to help me dig through the rubble and find Lucy's memories which are contained in a sphere." Claude explained. _

"_And why should we?" Summer said more annoyed. Claude climbed up and grabbed her by the tie. "Listen Summer, this is important! Lucy doesn't deserve to be left like this! Are you going to help us or would you rather surrender your body to that old geezer?" Claude was serious. He needs Summer to help along with Carmen with not just searching through rubble, but also facing the Windmill children. The more in number the better, even if it means twice as much frustration. Summer timidly nodded. Claude let go. Summer climbed down. "So, Lucy got experimented?" Carmen nodded. "So, this windmill has a room with the same machine that zombie hooked me up to as well?" _

"_Yes." Claude answered. "The machine is already destroyed because of the teachers. Parts of the ceiling collapsed onto it but I don't think the sphere has been damaged. We need to dig through the rubble and find it. After we do, we can only hope we'll find another machine, hook Lucy up to it and return her memories."_

"_What if there isn't? What then?" Summer asked._

"_Then our only choice is to hold on to the contained memories and hope. While we do that, we'll stop Miss Weaver and you guys escape."_

_Summer and Carmen agreed. _

"_Too bad the golem can't fit through the halls." Carmen said sadly._

"_I know." Claude agreed. "He could be useful for heavy lifting but he'd also get the windmill kids to notice."_

_Claude, Summer, Carmen, and Lucy headed off toward the direction of where the collapsed machine room was leaving the golem behind. If the golem were attacked while they were gone, it could defend itself meaning nothing much to worry about. The only danger they would have to worry about is facing the windmill kids….._

_To be continued…._


	5. Carrying an Exhausted Friend

Some parts of the windmill were dark that they had to use a flashlight to search and prevent themselves from tripping on anything they couldn't see. Other parts of the windmill had enough light that sometimes they didn't need to. Claude knew that they better get to the machine room and fast but without getting caught by the windmill children. If they were spotted by one windmill kid, the rest will know. The only windmill kid on the good side is obviously none other than Simon.

Claude led the group nearer to the hiding place where he and Simon took refuge from the windmill kids and dangers from outside which were the teachers. It was also the last place he'd been in the windmill before he descended off with Lucy through the vents.

They reached the hiding place. To Claude's expectations, Simon was in one piece.

"I see you brought others." Simon said.

"I see you're alive." Claude answered.

"I-I-It can't be!" Summer stuttered in loss for words over knowing of this familiar student. She saw him get detention and get forcefully escorted by Stinch to the windmill.

"Yep. This is Simon Belljoy, he's going to help us out."

"What's with the ball and chain?" Carmen asked curious.

"He managed to escape the windmill before. When he got recaptured, the put this on him. I don't have the tools or inventions right now to get that off him." Said Claude.

"I tried to free myself from this but my efforts failed." Simon explained. "But at least it's useful for fighting off the other windmill kids."

"You do have a point Simon but I think dragging that thing around not only slows you down but the children will know your coming by the sound of clanking chains." Claude stated. "And if you got that ball stuck between rubble, escaping a mob of those windmill kids will be the problem."

"I think I might be able to help!" Summer suggested as she took out her toy bunny (more like weapon rabbit of dooooom!). The mouth of the bunny opened up slightly and a series of things popped out and back in. "Let's see no…. no… that's the flamethrower…. There it is!" The bunny shot out a laser beam on Simon's shackle. The shackle broke loose.

"I'm free!" Simon cheered.

"That's good." Claude said a bit relieved. "Well then, Summer already has her invention to defend herself. What about you Carmen?"

"Uh…." Carmen uttered as she searched for whatever she took with her. "I got tools but that's it."

"We'll need to find you and Simon something to use to defend yourselves from the windmill kids."

"When we do find weapons." Simon suggested. "Could someone break the other end of the chain from the ball? It might come in handy. I won't clank it around."

"Uh.. Sure!" Summer agreed. She used her bunny again to break off the chain from the ball. Simon wrapped the chain around his arm. His idea was to use the chain to grab the windmill kids attacking him and with a weapon, knock them out. Claude and Summer could see what he was thinking. The chain could be available for other uses as well.

While Summer, Simon, and Carmen were busy, Claude found a little storage room that contained shovels, lab tools, lab containers, crooks, and many other things.

Claude picked up a few of those plus some tools for himself, just in case. He handed Carmen a shovel and Simon also.

"May use the crook too?" Asked Simon.

"Be my guest." Claude handed Simon a crook. Simon readjusted his chain to he could carry both weapons.

Carmen gripped her shovel.

"What about me?" Summer said.

"Summer, you got your toy rabbit that could do…. Who know how many things you put in there?"

"Point taken."

Claude equipped himself with a shovel. Just when they were getting ready to head off, Lucy fell to her knees. Claude immediately caught her before she could fall face first.

"What's the matter with her now?" Summer asked.

"She's fast asleep!" Claude said.

"But why?"

"She must be exhausted. I guess it's all she had to go through and social pressure." Claude picked her up and positioned her on his back so he can carry her piggyback style.

"Alright, everyone ready?"

The rest nodded. They left the hiding place headed for the machine room.

…..

"So the windmill kids are still alive?" Summer asked. "I thought they were all dead!"

"I think the engineers would've had another reason if they just wanted to dispose of the kids sent to the windmill." Simon answered.

Carmen: "That be worse."

Simon: "It would. However, we faced things worse enough."

Summer: "I can see that all over you!"

Simon: "And nothing any more worse than this."

Summer: "Carmen, what do you think?"

Carmen was staring at Claude carrying Lucy who was still asleep. She didn't know why but she secretly found that adorable.

"Carrrrrrmeeeeen!"

"What? I wasn't paying attention sorry!"

"What were you looking at?"

"Nothing!"

"You were staring at something, I know you Carmen!"

"I just drifted into space!"

Summer gave a "I know your lying" stare with a mischievous smirk.

"Alright." Carmen whispered to Summer. "Don't you find this picture somewhat…. Cute?" She pointed to Claude and Lucy walking in front of them.

"Hmm….." Summer looked. "Maybe…. Actually…. Nah …. Oh wait yeah I somewhat do!"

"Really?"

"Yeah… It gives me some great ideas." She said grinning.

"What's this, secret girl talk?" Simon asked.

"Very funny windmill boy!" Summer said sarcastically, eyebrow twitching.

Simon smiled in response. "^_^"

At Claude's end, Lucy opened her eyes.

"You're awake!" Claude noticed.

Lucy looked at the position she was in realizing she's being carried. She didn't mind but she wasn't sure if she wanted to keep going like this either. She blushed but she didn't know why. She felt a feeling which was a mix of embarrassment, confusion, and something else. She didn't understand those feelings. She used to, of course the only feeling which was in the mix that she immediately understood again was safety. Lucy relaxed again on Claude's back. She felt safe again with Claude around. That's one of those feelings she recognized.

She tightened her grip on Claude's shirt and yawned. She didn't feel like falling back asleep. In fact she slept for 30 minutes already.

Summer went over to Claude. "Are we there yet?"

"Nearly now pipe down!" Claude ordered.

"Alright! Sheesh!" All of a sudden a question popped into her head. "By the way Claude, you know that toy dinosaur that Lucy carried around almost all the time? Where did She leave that?"

"That's actually a good question. The engineers either took it away from her or she dropped it while she was being dragged."

"What did she call that thing again? It was "Di" something."

"Dino. She called it Dino."

Lucy's eyes widened and she stared at Claude in question and repeated. "D… D…Di…no….?"

"She spoke!" Summer exclaimed.

"Hmm.." Claude then turned his attention to where he was going. When he stopped, the rest of the gang stopped. "We're here."

To be continued….


	6. A Windmill Child's Unstable side

Claude and the rest of the gang finally arrived in what was once the machine room covered in rubble. Pieces of the ceiling really changed the look of this place. Once a spacious lab that the machine for the windmill children was used for the windmill children. It was also the place where the normal kids were experimented on and had their bodies reconstructed into engineer like people made for the official engineer (Miss Weaver included) to use for their selfish desires for immortality. Even though most of the children were failed experiments as Claude saw before, otherwise there wouldn't be children in the windmill.

"Wow! What a mess!" Summer said.

"This was probably caused by the destruction outside." Claude said. "Anyways, we're going to dig through this rubble and look for Lucy's "Personality Container" as you said Summer. It's very important we find it. So do your best and look in every corner and under every piece of rubble as possible. Obviously don't want to leave a spot unchecked."

Carmen, Simon, even Summer agreed with a nod. Even though some of them had weapons, mostly shovels to use if they encounter windmill children, shovels can obviously be made for digging through some piles of rubble and other hazardous material.

Summer used her invention bunny which had a built shovel that could compress and fit in with the other gadgets yet expand into a tool as large as a regular shovel and dig rubble that's in the way for her. (of course she'd be lazy in effort, she's a ditz!)

Simon lifted some parts of the ceiling using what effort he could put in.

Carmen used her shovel for the piles of ceiling debris.

Some of them encountered enormous chunks of rubble, that they needed more than one lend of a hand to lift it out of the way.

Claude did participate in the search, of course after putting Lucy down. He put her in a safe spot where he could see how she's doing while handling heavy loads of pieces he had to help pick up.

*15 minutes later*

"I'm tired already!" Summer whined.

"How could you be tired if that bunny of yours has done all the work?" Simon asked in question.

"Err.. I mean! Man this container is hard to find… eh heh heh! Better keep looking."

"Okay I'm just saying." Simon said. Summer was still being the ditz she is as usual like when Hollow Fields was normal. Before any of this happened.

"Hey guys!" Carmen called. "I think I found it!"

Claude immediately ran to Carmen. "You did?"

Carmen lifted out the container. The contraption Claude has been looking for! Carmen gave it to Claude who made sure it wasn't damaged. A little stained from the impact but no severe damage. It was a good idea to get help digging through this rubble otherwise it would've took hours maybe even an entire day. And now with the help of some Claude has found it.

Lucy came over curious what the commotion was about.

"Lucy!" Claude said smiling. "We found your memories! We can get you back to normal! Soon you'll be able to remember everything again!"

Even though Lucy didn't know what was going on, seeing Claude smiling made her happy as well. She gave off a smile in response.

'She's happy. That's good.' Claude thought relieved.

"We better get going quick Claude." Simon suggested. "I can sense the other windmill children near by."

"Well then let's get going then. Despite us being armed, I'd rather avoid a fight with them. Summer, Carmen let's go!"

"Alrighty!" Summer said going over to Claude with Carmen following. Claude placed the container in his pocket. God forbid if he dropped it out of his grasp, it was the only safe place to put it (unless had a hole in it).

The gang with Lucy following ran back the way they entered. They weren't going to stop for anything unless one of them tripped or have trouble catching up with the rest.

Just when they were almost near where they left the golem, out of the darkness Meg, the leading windmill kid, jumps out and block their path.

"Meg!" Claude yelled.

"Hello little boy!" Meg greeted cruelly with a smirk. "My my! You brought some new friends! I'm delighted!"

"And I'm creeped out!" Summer said seeing a windmill kid other than Simon who looked a lot worse especially using a transportational incubator on wheels.

The next thing they knew, they realized before their eyes they were surrounded by the windmill kids. The gang got into position with weapons ready surrounding Lucy in a protective barrier knowing her vulnerability. Simon took out his shovel and crook. Carmen also got out her shovel as well as Claude did. Summer has her bunny ready to punch out any windmill kids that got too close.

"Come on! We only want to play. Right children?" Meg said. In response, the children got out whatever they had from saws to tools to whatever else. "Okay! I'll play your game little boy!"

"I don't want to hurt you Meg. I need you to get out of our way. We don't have time for this!" Claude said. "You don't have to do this! Even if you don't remember me, you are still my sister. You can live life again, get out of this windmill and if these kids want to, they can get out too!"

"Get out of the windmill? I don't need to and neither do the others here! How dare you say that! We children will never leave, but then again it's collapsing. But no one leaves!"

The children were growling with anger towards Claude and the rest. They seem to be creeping closer just ready to pounce the gang. Apparently one got too close though.

"GET AWAYYYYYYY!" Summer yelled as her bunny went on a punching spree as she screamed in panic and fury as her bunny knocked out a few children. Summer stopped and panted.

Some of the children backed away while the rest only got more provoked and got angrier.

"Don't do that again Summer! You just provoked them!" Claude yelled.

"Children ATTACK!" Meg ordered. Some of them began sprinting towards the gang. Using their weapons, the gang were able to knock out some and hold off others. Some of the windmill children didn't have or need weapons and used what they were experimented with as their advantage. Meg obviously had her visible specialty which was also a weakness. (the incubator) Some of the children also had a specialty. Engineers that made them either made them to have mechanical limbs, to float using steam, or blow out extra steam for speed.

Claude used his shovel to hold off some of the windmill children and had his own share of knocking others out cold.

Simon used mostly his shovel to keep the children away. He spotted one of the crazy unstable windmill kids sprinting towards him with alarming speed. Simon used his chain to capture him and finished him off the way the others were.

"That's violent, you could choke somebody with that." Claude said busy with his end.

"At least I'm not killing anyone, that's all I could say. I think despite my lack of memories, I'd be to young for that!" Simon said after taking out a kid with mechanical limbs.

Summer used her bunny to her advantage. Punching out as much kids as possible. She also had to use other weapons she included but she used the punching most of the time.

Carmen does the same thing Claude is doing with the shovel her only weapon.

The gang throughout the fight sometimes had to spread out leaving Lucy with either one or two of them protecting her while the others ward off the almost endless amount of kids trying to either capture or kill the gang with whatever they had.

Claude was making sure the personality container was still in his pocket and it was, but he was about to face the biggest upsets as a windmill kid charges at him, takes him down to the point where Claude was being held down trying to cut him. The container fell out of his pocket while trying to get the kid off him.

Claude tried to grab for it but a windmill kid picked it up to show it to Meg.

"What's this?" Meg wondered. "Was this what you were after little boy?"

"Give that back Meg! I mean it!" Claude yelled as he finally struggled free of the kid and used his shovel on him. The next thing he knew, all the fighting stopped but the kids were restraining Carmen and Summer. Simon tried to get away but failed as the kids restrained him, took his shovel away while some kid threw his crook to a spot where it lay hooked in position facing the ground.

To Claude's horror, Lucy was captured by one of the windmill kids and brought to Meg.

"I ask of you boy, does this little contraption have something to do with our new member over here?" Meg said comparing Lucy with the personality container. "It must be otherwise you wouldn't have come back here!"

"Meg, unhand Lucy and give that container back NOW! I'm not playing your game anymore!"

"Aww! Come on, can't we have some fun? Alright then let's play a deal. I'll let you guys pass for there might be plenty of others that haven't joined our group yet. You won't go empty handed but you won't leave full either. You must choose one."

"WHAT? Meg I-!"

"Not finished yet boy. You can take this contraption, and leave us with the girl or take the girl and leave us with the contraption. You have to choose one, after that your outta here!"

Claude thought about this. This was not what he intended. If he took the container, he'd leave Lucy for them to make apart of their creepy community or worse, to be killed by them. Then the container would be useless. It only has most of Lucy's memories but not all thus transferring the data to another body is impossible. He could take Lucy and leave the contraption to them to be destroyed. This means possibly no way to get Lucy's memories back. The only other solution that would help is have Lucy trying spend years of not only reeducation but having to be introduced in her condition step by step to those around her again .

…..

"…."

"Well?"

"…I…. I'll… I'll take Lucy…." Claude said in failure and sadly. He made it so far to get Lucy's memories but now his accomplishments worth of getting them were worth the effort of only being ruined thanks to Meg and the other windmill children.

The kids restraining Lucy released her and pushed her towards Claude harshly. Claude caught her. Lucy already had a tears forming in her eyes.

Claude took her hand and then he faced Meg. "Alright, release Summer, Carmen, and even Simon. You might of said that "I" was out of here but don't give me that "I didn't say all of you though" crap. When you mean me, you mean ALL"

"Yes." Meg said smirking. "Yes I did. But did I really mean that you walk away from us?"

"What do you mean? Of course, we had a deal you know!"

"Yes I do… But the rules here won't change. You still can't leave us."

"Meg what do you think your do-" Claude cut short of his sentence when a windmill kid from behind hits him in the back of the head with a giant wrench but because he used so much strength for such a large weapon, Claude rolled against the wall.

Lucy went ran over. She was trying to shake Claude awake. She then stopped to see what Meg was doing and before her eyes…. The kids holding the container by Meg's orders crushed it into pieces. Lucy was scared now. Didn't Claude work hard to retrieve it for some importance? Lucy tried waking Claude again hoping she get him to notice but he didn't awake. He was alive but due to Lucy's lack of memories and skills, he looked dead to her. He was dead to her by the looks of it. She began to cry a bit.

"Oh don't cry, he'll wake up!" Meg said but Lucy wasn't listening.

She was experiencing the feelings of sadness and other forms of that such as Grief and Loss. She didn't like it, natural for her. How could they do this to her protector? How could they destroy the container that Claude was searching for? How could they? The next thing to be noticed was that her heart began to beat madly. Another feeling was bubbling up inside her slowly beginning to dominate over her sadness. That feeling burned like fire. Had she experienced it before? She had be she couldn't remember and when she was normal, she wasn't the type of hot head. Anger. Anger was taking over her. It was followed by a desire of revenge and some form of insanity.

Lucy stood up, went for the nearest weapon which was the crook Simon was swiped of and face the windmill children face hidden by a shadow since it was facing down.

"So have you decided to join us?" Meg asked happily. But then she noticed something was not right, Lucy looked more suspicious. Why does she have a crook in her hands? She frowned.

"What's going on here?" Summer wondered.

Simon looked at Lucy. He then looked at Claude then back. "Oh no, this isn't good…." He said worried.

Lucy finally looked up but with an unfamiliar expression. Her eyes were glowing even more red. Her eyebrows were scrunched. You could tell she was angry. What she was thinking was no other thought than the one where the kids, Meg included, deserve punishment.

"She's become unstable." Simon figured. "Claude needs to regain consciousness soon!"

To be continued…..


	7. Calmness, Regaining Lost Memories

_**Warning, This chapter is long.**_

Lucy stood there glaring at the windmill kids near her [exception of Simon]. Crook held close and ready. In a half second, she went from a still frightening figure, to sprinting at alarming speed knocking out children faster than Simon, Carmen, Summer, and Claude did. Some of the children try to regroup and take her down all at once but she was too fast for them. Each swing of that crook was already getting a quantity of kids in the tens either knocked out, injured, or worse.

"What's wrong with her? She's gotten bloody mad!" Summer asked. The kid that restrained her decided he should enter the battle. So did the other ones thus freeing Carmen and Simon.

"And scary!" Carmen said trembling seeing Lucy's horrifying expression on her darkened face.

"I know. If we don't do something soon, not only will she get herself hurt, but she will become unstable to the point where she will not be able to trust anyone or anything that stands in her path." Simon said.

"Why don't you go and stop her?" Summer asked.

"Are you kidding? I'm a windmill child! She'd mistake me for one of them and use that crook to cut me to smithereens!"

"Well I'm not doing it." Summer said.

"Me neither!" Carmen agreed.

"Then we need to wake up Claude. If he doesn't awaken soon, Lucy would already be lost to her anger and continue on with her killing spree."

*meanwhile at Meg's end*

Most of the children were backing off trying to escape Lucy's horrifying power.

"Meg! She's too dangerous! We gotta get out of here!" A Windmill kid suggested.

"Your right she has! She's even worse than the kids who don't even participate with us!" Meg agreed. Lucy was even more to deal with than a crazy windmill kid. Some of the crazy kids were on Meg's side while others were loners living somewhere in the windmill. But Lucy in this case was invincible with ferocious speed and attack power no other hostile windmill kid could match.

The next thing Meg knew was the windmill kids guarding her from the danger were thrown out of the way by the red headed windmill girl's harsh force. Lucy was standing in front of Meg and the thing that lay in her way from giving her what she deserves, the incubator barrier. Lucy jumped and struck the glass managing to leave a crack. The glass was quite thick. Lucy continuously began to strike the crack trying to break it.

"No! Don't do that!" Meg struggled trying shake Lucy off with her ongoing incubator on wheels. Lucy had great grip. "Don't break it! If this leaks and my incubator is drained, I'll die! Please don't hurt me!" Meg pleaded in a panic.

*At the gang's end*

"Claude wake up!" Summer yelled.

"Claude!"

"You got to get up before Lucy loses her mind!"

Claude finally opened his eyes. "Man, it's a headache having to be yelled at you know."

"Phew!" Carmen was relieved.

"Like finally!" Summer said annoyed.

"You got to stop Lucy now!" Said Simon.

"From what? Where is she-?" Claude asked but looked to see a site before him, Lucy was already trying to get Meg's incubator to leak out her life liquid. Lucy already got the crack to widen a bit and spurt out a thin fountain of liquid into the air.

"Cripes! What she doing?" Claude exclaimed.

"She must've thought you were dead and while you were knocked out, the windmill children already destroyed the container. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it was my fault. I shouldn't have lost it. I was too busy avoiding girls than listening to Lucy."

"Claude…" Simon said surprised.

Claude stood up and began to walk over to where Lucy and Meg were. "HELLLLP!" Meg cried. Lucy was just near to draining the entire incubator at once. Lucy realized another presence near her and she jumped off of Meg and faced Claude. "Lucy." Claude said. "It's alright. I'm okay see? Calm down." Lucy was blind with rage. She charged towards Claude with her crook ready to hook him from under. Claude made his move, he spread his arms open and grabbed Lucy in embracing position. Lucy struggled but Claude's strength was stronger. Her arms below his arms. Trying to make a fatal blow on him with her crook was impossible.

"It's okay." Claude reassured. "I'm sorry for losing your memories to the windmill kids. If I let the kids take you away while I got the container, they would of done worse with you. I will not let anyone hurt you."

Lucy began to stop struggling and realize whose arms she was in. "Even without the container, I will find a away to get you to remember any and everything lost to Miss Weaver's experiment. I promise I won't let Miss Weaver or anyone or anything harm you in any way possible."

Lucy dropped her crook. "You have friends with you, they'll protect you too. Like Simon, even though you don't remember, you met him before. I swear, we'll take down Miss Weaver and put a stop to her experiments and plans and we could escape Hollow Fields together with everybody else! We can still turn you back to normal again. So Lucy, calm down. Anger is a powerful feeling that may seem to accelerate the body but it's a bad feeling. So forget the windmill kids, let it all go."

Lucy heard Claude's words. The other feeling made up for anger residing which was sadness again but it was also accompanied by relief and safety. Her eyes were no longer glowing and demonic looking, they got all shiny with tears that began to flow down. Lucy buried her face in Claude's chest but of course she only buried part of it to the point where someone from one side would be able to see her eyes closed tight trying to hold back some tears which kept flowing. Lucy cried softly in Claude's chest, her cries were muffled that they could only be heard by anyone near them.

…..

Meg stared at the sight before her despite her incubator leaking. Some windmill kids went up to her. "Meg let's go!" "We gotta get ya patched up!" Meg let the children carry her away from Claude and Lucy.

…

*ten minutes later*

The gang decided to take a break near the golem. There wasn't as much destruction present. Some buildings were destroyed outside but some still stood even though with severe damage. The others were exhausted from fending off the windmill kids. Summer was pacing out of whatever thoughts she had. Carmen sat near her golem. Claude and Simon were wondering what to do next, it felt like they missed something back inside the halls of the windmill. Lucy was sitting next to the golem a couple feet across from Carmen in a daze.

"AGRGHHH! We should get out of this place already!" She said aggravated . "The engineers could be coming out of nowhere blowing stuff up again!"

"Patience Summer!" Simon ordered. "I think we left an object of some importance in the windmill."

"I think we were talking about it earlier before we got the container but what?"

"Object huh?" Summer wondered.

"I wish I remembered what it was." Claude said.

"Let's see, I asked you about something…." she said to Claude

"Go on." Said Simon.

"I asked if we were there yet and we weren't."

"It was after that." Claude said.

"Well so much had happened that I almost forgot but… oh wait I asked about Lucy's toy."

"Dino."

"The only other thing we have to dig through is a dumb toy dinosaur now?"

"It's better if we retrieve it and have Lucy remember it again."

All of a sudden, Claude had an idea. "What if Lucy already recognizes it?"

"What do you mean?" Simon asked.

"We mentioned Dino in front of Lucy and she repeated after us. She didn't say any other word but 'Dino'".

"So you're saying that maybe the machine that took away her memories either didn't interfere with that one memory or wasn't able to retrieve it in time?"

"Exactly!"

"I see. How important is Dino to her?"

"Well she always brings it with her. She rescued it from being destroyed by Miss Weaver's clockwork robot. I guess it's THAT important she gets it back."

"So where do we start looking?"

Claude was about to suggest a place until they both spotted a crazy windmill kid wandering cautiously. It looked like he was looking for a hiding place of some sort. He had a familiar purple object in his arms. Claude focused on that object. "He's got Dino!" The kid noticed them and ran.

"After him!" Simon and Claude went after him.

"Oi! Where you guys going? Jeez!" Summer complained. She decided to run after them. "Carmen you stay here!"

Carmen nodded. It was better to stay with the golem and Lucy then leave them vulnerable. Otherwise Lucy could wander off or the golem would be found by engineers.

…

Claude, Simon, and Summer ran after the crazy kid. He didn't run for long as he found another room and dashed there. The three caught up and found the kid sitting near a pile of damaged machines and gears followed by dirt and rubble.

He had a couple other things piled around such as leftover toys and inventions he stole from some of the kids in the process of becoming a windmill kid.

Claude stepped forward but the kid snapped.

"NOOO! You can't have it! It's mine! MINE! ALL MINE!" He screeched while laughing insanely. That creeped Summer out.

"Are you a part of Meg's group?" Claude asked.

"No he isn't" Simon said. "He's one of the windmill kids that didn't stick with the rest."

"Meg you say human?" The kid said. "HA! She thinks she's leader! The kids follow her like some queen bee! They do all the work for her cause she's in the incubator. Even though they switch leaders every week or two, I follow no one! NO ONE! In fact, I got my own desires to settle! I collect! Stare in awe before my collection!"

"Where do you get these?" Claude asked feeling only a little of the same way Summer is expressing.

"You want to know? Fine then! The engineers take the normal kids right? While they take them to become apart of that excuse for Meg's society, the engineers throw away inventions or contraption they have with them into a storage that stores things they throw away! I occasionally check what they have to offer every week for the kids and every day for their metal hand me downs! This recent looking purple thing I got recently. While they were walking by as I watched from the vents, this week's human was a red headed girl with a ribbon!"

'Lucy' Claude thought.

"They swiped the contraption from her and threw it into the storage. I gotta tell ya, that girl was struggling to get that back. When they left, I came in and decided to put it in better hands. Mine of course!" He giggled insanely once again.

"Yeah well guess what, that same girl you saw get taken away is with us and it's important she have this back." Claude said.

"She can get her own! I got it now and it's mine now! MINE!"

"It's not you-!"

"MIIIIINE! O_O"

Claude sighed frustrated.

The next thing Claude knew Summer went up to the kid despite how insane he was.

"Hmmm?" The kid was curious but overly cautious and protective.

Summer held out her toy rabbit.

"*Gasp* Vat is this… this precious contraption?" He asked wanting to grab it.

"Oh it's just… well I gotta say something better." She said grinning. Simon and Claude thought she was crazy but she was holding her bunny with one hand and crossing her fingers behind her back. In seeing that Claude and Simon didn't make a move.

"Better you say? Better than what I tested with things I collect? This purple thing… uh…" He pulled Dino's tail to reveal the string connecting it. "How can it do better?"

After Summer adjusted a few things with her bunny, she gave it to the kid. "Oh it can do lots and I mean lots! You can have it if you give us the dinosaur. Would you really want a boring contraption that's able to do one thing and one thing only?"

While the kid was staring in awe at the bunny in his grip and kept his eyes there. "Yeah your right!" He handed Dino to Summer who gave it to Claude. "Wait for it…" She whispered to them.

"I have never negotiated with humans before!" The kid said joyfully. The bunny's face opened to reveal a fist. "Oooh! Vat's this?" The bunny then punched him against the wall knocking him out cold. Summer grabbed her bunny quickly. "Come on!" Claude ordered and the three ran back toward the direction where Lucy and Carmen were.

….

Carmen spotted Summer and the boys running back. "Hey guys!" She greeted.

Lucy spotted them and smiled.

"Whew! That was a handful!" Summer said as she went over to Carmen who was glad she was alright. Simon and Claude went over to Lucy. Claude was greeted with Lucy hugging him. "Well she's happy." Simon said grinning over the sight before him. "Shut up!" Claude said. Simon just laughed. After Lucy was finished hugging him, Claude began. "Lucy, you might not yet or maybe ever but do you remember 'Dino?'"

Lucy began to repeat him with eyes brightening up but still with a curious expression. "Di..no? … Dino?"

"Yes. Well you might recognize it now as I went and got it back for you. So say hello to the toy you once remembered!" He got out Dino, still in one piece and no damage done. Lucy gasped. Claude handed it to her and she gently took it. She had Dino in her hands and stared in awe of it. A feeling started building up in her. To her, she knew that feeling wasn't bad but was it a positive feeling? It made her feel more familiar with Dino. It made her somewhat recognize Dino. She held Dino close somewhat glad to have him back. But that made her curious inside, did she have Dino before? What does Dino mean to her? She felt that Dino had a connection with her. Some type of connection. But What? All of a sudden, her mind began process so much information and convert curiosity into answers. She got dizzy from it.

Lucy began to sway a bit but Claude caught her. She was unconscious. "Please remember.." Claude hoped.

Summer and Carmen wanted to see what was going on and found Claude holding Lucy upright but then decided to put her in sitting position against the golem.

….

*Lucy's mind*

Flashbacks and important memories were playing before her starting with when she first got Dino.

"Huh? …. Oh that's right, that's when I first got Dino…." She figured. In the memory her mother gave it to her.

A series of other memories played back before her. She'd always bring Dino wherever she went. From home to school, from to school to a shop, from a shop to the park and so many other places. Dino was there for her even when she went to the schools she was sent to up to now. If classes she went to disappointed her because she wasn't good in them or mean classmates, Dino was there to cheer her up again. She still made friends in her previous schools but Dino back then was the most important friend of them all even if only a toy.

The one particular series of memories caught her attention, when she was first sent to attend Saint Galbat's School for Young Ladies. She remembered getting lost in the forest trying to find that place but wasn't successful. That's how she ended up in Hollow Fields instead but it was a mistake. Miss Notch was nice enough to give Dino back to her even though Miss Notch herself thought Lucy was an intruder.

Lucy remembered the time she made her first friend in Hollow Fields which was Simon but he got taken away to the Windmill before the two could get to fully know each other. That was devastating. What got worse was it got harder for Lucy to make anymore friends because of both Hollow Fields and popular girl Summer Polanski. Claude was hard enough to make friends with. He wanted nothing to do with her.

She kept watching her memories play back before her and remembered the time when Miss Weaver was about to use Dino as a test subject for her example robot. Miss Weaver punished Lucy for rescuing Dino from the robot and destroying it in the process by forcing her to build a robot construct for homework and to have it done by the end of the week. She was able to when she found doctor bleak who helped her with it. Thanks to him, she was able to gain some understanding of the subjects in Hollow Fields.

Things started getting out of hand when she first entered Summer's lair though, she remembered Summer leading her and Claude into a trap. Lucy only came to Summer hoping they could be friends instead of enemies. She remembered also when she had to save Claude from falling. After that Miss Weaver sent both of them to the windmill.

Lucy remembered that somewhat depressing argument with Claude while she was trying to escape. He snapped when she mentioned Doctor Bleak and told her to not to get herself in any more trouble calling her a stupid girl in the process.

She was disappointed at what she saw. Lucy almost burst out crying like how she almost did in reaction to Claude's harsh words but held back tears when she watched the memory play the moment the engineers took her away and Claude yelling for Lucy while was yelling back for him. The memory also played the situation where they took Dino away from her and proceeded leading her to the machine room. It was horrifying to watch as they got started but she couldn't recall what they were doing for when the engineers commenced the operation, they put her to sleep with anesthesia that knocked her out but didn't relieve pain. (what kind of anesthesia was that? Dumb engineers! O_O) She couldn't recall anything else.

Lucy thought there was no hope for her right there until a special series of memories played back before her. It played back when she woke up to find Claude trying to get her out of the room along with her container of memories.

*a couple memories later cause you know what happened!*

Lucy was amazed at how Claude wanted to help her get her memories back and how he worked together with Simon to get up to that. Claude was so determined that he was able to get help from Summer and Carmen through the events that happened. Lucy was disappointed about how the container got destroyed and how she went on a rampage against the windmill kids until Claude regained consciousness and calmed her down. That's when her memories stopped playing before her.

…..

Lucy woke up to find Claude next to her. She also found Simon and the girls surrounding them.

Claude noticed Lucy had woken up. "Lucy, have you gained back your memories? Do you remember me?" Claude asked.

Lucy looked at him. "Cl.. Claude?"

"She remembers!" Cheered Simon.

Lucy looked around her. "Simon? What's everyone doing here? What happened?" She looked at herself. She was normal except for the her patched pale green skin as always. "What happened to me? My skin is patched up and so is my forehead!"

"You were experimented by the engineers." Claude answered. "They used a machine to drain your memories and the windmill kids destroyed the container that contained them. But I guess thanks to your toy dinosaur that even without the container contained better memories."

Lucy looked at Dino that she was gripping. "Thanks to Dino huh?" She smiled.

"Can we go now?" Summer said impatient.

"Summer!" Carmen said.

"What? If we don't get out of Hollow Fields soon we'll-!" The gang noticed that destruction from the engineers fighting started again. The windmill couldn't take anymore.

"This place won't hold up for much longer!" Claude yelled. Lucy got up. "Are the engineers doing this?"

"I'll answer that later." Claude said. They all hopped on the golem and dashed off away from the collapsing windmill. As they watched as the windmill collapsed, Lucy felt a strange ticking feeling inside her like the gears the engineers inserted inside her windmill body were slowing down and needed to be wound up….

To be continued.


	8. Lucy's Windup Key, Road to Recovery

The gang escaped the collapsing windmill using Carmen's golem. It was a hassle having to go through avoiding areas where the engineers cause the most destruction. After a few minutes of avoiding explosions and some of the engineers giant creations, Simon tells Claude of what he knows about the key to Hollow Fields.

"So your telling me Miss Notch has it?" Claude asked.

"She keeps it 'close to heart'. That's what I know. Actually Meg knew about it and got the info off her."

"What's that key for? Is it the way out this place?"

"I'm not sure but that key is important to Miss Weaver that the maid guards it for her."

"I don't even know where to start looking for her in all this chaos! My guess is Miss Weaver's tower but I'm not sure if they are still there! It still stands but-"

"Then Let's look there." Lucy suggested. "It's one of the first places to look isn't it?"

"Lucy….. Alright then. Carmen, get this golem to head for Miss Weaver's tower!"

"That place? What for?" Carmen asked.

"Something important."

Carmen directed the golem to head towards Miss Weaver's tower. It took awhile because several detours had to be taken again to avoid the engineer's destruction.

Near the entrance of the tower lay a pile of rubble that had fallen on a person. And that was Miss Notch.

"Look at that.. The cave in got her before we did!"

Carmen stopped the golem and the gang climbed down.

"Omigosh! Check it out!" Lucy exclaimed. "She looks really hurt!"

"Good!" Said Claude. "About time someone dropped a big rock on her!"

Lucy remembered Simon saying Miss Notch kept the key close to heart. By her efforts, Lucy searched over Miss Notch.

"Hey! You trying to steal her wallet! Because I don't think she HAS one." Claude said as Lucy tried to search for the key.

"The key." Said Lucy. "I thought it be around her neck or something.. It's not here!"

"Miss Notch keeps it 'close to heart'…" Claude said thinking. "Carmen, you have any of your mechanical kit with you?"

Carmen got out a wrench and some other tools. "Just these… be careful with them!" Claude took the tools, went over Miss Notch and began dissecting her with them. "EWW!" Carmen yelled.

"What do you think you're doing! Gross!" Summer squealed seeing Claude open up Miss Notch's chest to reveal clanking gears and a artificially pumped heart.

"D- Don't hurt her Claude!" Lucy said also seeing the creepy site.

"Is that even possible? She's a giant walking doll!" Claude said. If he was hurting her, she would be made of flesh and blood or fractions of some.

In the middle near the heart was a key. "There!" Claude pointed. "Look at that, right in the center!"

Lucy picked up the key. "It's a key, a wind up toy key!"

"Which Miss Notch keeps close to heart, you were right Simon!" Claude said.

"A wind up though?" Simon asked.

"That would mean the key is not the way out!" Claude said. "Now I know why it's important to Miss Weaver."

"Yeah. Me too!" Said Lucy. "Anyways, you guys escape from Hollow Fields."

"Wait what? Lucy where are you going?" Claude asked.

"Miss Weaver has Doctor Bleak! I bet she's upstairs in this tower for that's where her office is. And I'll bet Doctor Bleak is up there too! I.. I owe him a lot.. I have to save him! You four escape Hollow Fields."

Claude has done so much to get Lucy's memories back and helped Lucy along the way. Lucy might seem independent to him after getting her memories back but Claude doesn't even know if she will make it against Miss Weaver as an experiment kid. Miss Weaver could figure out her weaknesses easy cause she almost looks and steams out like an engineer. Ever since Claude found Lucy, he still doesn't know why she has two steam holes with one steaming and the other is not. Maybe Miss Weaver knows about it and he needed to know too. Along with Lucy. Miss Weaver knowing any weaknesses included with how they experimented with Lucy would not hesitate to use them against her.

"I'm not leaving you Lucy." Claude said serious.

"But Claude. You struggled to escape Hollow Fields!"

"I want to help you. Miss Weaver might know some facts of the windmill kids getting experimented. Since you were experimented, the engineers I noticed have rebuilt you differently then the other windmill kids. Simon here was engineered like the rest of them."

"I kinda noticed that." Lucy said. "But why do you want to help me?"

"She might know your weaknesses. Facing her alone and with only one invention is not enough. I'm going to come with you because…" Claude smiled. "We're friends! Remember?"

Lucy was astonished at first. Then she remembered the time when she rescued Claude in Summer's lair from falling to sudden death and said that they were friends and they were. She smiled and nodded in response.

"I'm coming too!" Simon said. "Why not the extra help?"

"It's settled then! Lucy, Simon, and I are heading for Miss Weaver's office. You two, Summer! Carmen! Evacuate the other kids and help them and yourselves escape Hollow Fields!"

"You sure?" Carmen asked.

"Just go!" Claude ordered. "We'll be fine!"

"You heard him! Let's scram and get the heck outta here Carmen!" Summer yelled as she hopped on the golem before Carmen did and fled. "Good Luck with Miss Weaver!" Carmen yelled as they went.

….

Claude, Simon, and Lucy walked up the stairs that seemed to go almost forever. Lucy had Dino and the key. Claude actually brought his shovel he used against the windmill kids. Simon earlier after the time Lucy was calmed off her rampage decided to retrieve the crook. Lucy had Dino and the boys to protect her if Miss Weaver decided to try and harm her with whatever she had up her sleeve. Those sharp claw like artificial fingers of hers would make a fatal blow. She does have mechanical arms after all. She could easily choke somebody with those and might have strength so strong it exceeds a normal human's.

Lucy realized she was going slower than usual and she was putting what she thought was her normal amount of effort getting up the stairs. So she put some more effort in catching up with Claude and Simon. She felt like she had less energy than usual and that like a wind up toy had to depend on gears to keep turning to allow her to move at all. She wondered why she felt this way. In fact, why did she? It wasn't cardio that was causing this that's for sure.

"Lucy you okay?" Claude asked.

"I'm fine, but I feel weird."

Claude was concerned and Simon felt this same way as Claude could see his expression.

Finally after walking up a long flight of stairs, they encounter Miss Weaver having a conversation with Doctor Bleak but Miss Weaver is on the verge of wanting to rip him to the point of him becoming dust.

"Where is Miss Notch? I need that key…"

"You mean this key?" Lucy said. Miss Weaver turned around to find her with Claude and Simon standing next to her on each side. "How did you three get out of detention?"

Miss Weaver spotted the key In Lucy's grip. "The key! Give me that you little monster!" Miss Weaver wanted to grab that key and be done with it. "How did you get your FILTHY little paws on that in the first place?

Claude and Simon were about to make a move but Lucy held the key over the window obviously threatening to drop it.

"NO! What are you doing? Careful with that!"

"First things first!" Lucy began. "Promise me your never going to do bad things to kids again… TO ANYBODY!"

"You miserable little whelp!" Miss Weaver growled. "The kids I experimented on all deserved it… They were rejects! The lowliest in the class!" Miss Weaver slid out a personality container.

"Isn't that right… Francine?"

"That's Francine? You beast!" Lucy exclaimed.

"That's Francine?" Claude yelled.

"Yes, It's miss Steinwald." Said Miss Weaver cruelly giving of a smirk. "You could say she's been… Ahh, downsized!"

Lucy didn't like the looks of this. This is what happens when to students that get their soul entirely sucked away.

"Secondly…" Lucy continued. "You're gonna tell the parents out there exactly what you did to their kids… The ones who went to the windmill! The ones like Francine and Simon… The ones whose lives you wrecked!"

Miss Weaver just stared than suddenly busted out laughing. "You just don't get it do you? You're a SIMPLE one, that's for sure! The parents of those kids don't care about them Miss Snow! They're mad scientists! Ruthless entrepreneurs who are happy to step all over human life to achieve their goals… Even the lives of their own offspring!

"Why, If they if they found out what I'd achieve today as a result of my tests in the windmill… They'd be falling all over themselves to come here and get a new body! They'd tear Hollow Fields apart just to be… Just to…" Miss Weaver stopped as she saw how much chaos is being created by the engineers outside as a missile from one of them blows up another tower. Hollow Fields was already being torn up.

"Your desire for immortality has really been a total dud in the first place hasn't it?" Said Claude. "In fact, you've made so many mistakes to even get his far yet all those useless tests in the windmill were all for nothing except to get yourself killed!"

"The boy is right!" Said Doctor Bleak. "You're a brilliant scientist, but you're not so good with understanding human nature are you? Your own research- your own success - has been the downfall of Hollow Fields. Eternal life is something everyone wants so badly, they're willing to destroy you and your school to get at it… EVEN YOUR OWN ENGINEERS!"

Miss Weaver turned to Doctor Bleak. "Maybe it's time we did a little destructive work on YOU!"

Lucy ran for Doctor Bleak. "Leave him alone, you old… YOU NASTY OLD OGRE!"

"Heh, Ogre?" Miss Weaver said then turned to Lucy. "I'll show you an ogre!" Miss Weaver swung at Lucy who manage to barely come in contact with her sharp mechanic claws. She swung again but Claude used his shovel to block her attack. Miss Weaver used her claws to chop Claude's shovel in half. "CRIPES!" Simon decided to make himself a distraction while defending himself with his crook.

"I see that classes with has certainly improved the vocabulary of insults among my students." Weaver said as she finally was able to turn her attention to Lucy. "The key, please Miss Snow! You haven't seen me angry yet… and you don't WANT to!" She threatened.

"We've got you all figured out Miss Weaver! You may be the best scientist here, and the scariest teacher I've ever met… But you can't do anything without this key can you? I notice a while back… all the engineers including you, have holes in their backs. 'Steamvents'. Probably to relieve their internal pressure or something. And because of your tests in the windmill, even the windmill kids, Simon, and I have steam vents. But you know what? No steam ever seems to come from the hole in your back. Why is that? Because it's not steam vent is it? It's a keyhole. You're just an overgrown clockwork toy… And Miss Notch has to use this key to wind you up every so often so your body doesn't 'run down!'"

"That's what the key to Hollow Fields is! It's not a key to a door.. It's the key to getting rid of.." Lucy suddenly found herself struggling to stand as she felt the gears the engineers inserted her with in the windmill suddenly slowing down more. Claude caught her. "Lucy!" "What the… my body! Why can't I move….?" Simon went to her to see what's going on.

"BWAHAHAHAHA! You're experiencing what I'm going through!" Weaver laughed. "Without that key Miss Snow, BOTH of us will become immobile and without that key… There's nothing neither you or I could do. NOTHING! The surgeons at the windmill gave you a steam vent and a keyhole.. This was done to make it so 'I' wouldn't need as much winding up for the steam vent will help preserve energy. Looks like you're on the edge of collapse Miss Snow!"

"Wait." Claude said "Don't tell us when you sent us to the windmill, you planned on transferring yourself to Lucy's body. This is why they rebuilt her body differently than the other windmill kids!"

"And when she went hostile against the windmill kids when she didn't have memories." Simon figured. "She was more faster and harder to handle than the entire mob itself!"

"In that case." Lucy used leftover energy to try to wind herself up. She was able to reach until she encountered an unexpected problem. "It won't fit?"

"WON'T FIT?" Claude and Simon both exclaimed. "Let me see you might not be twisting it right!" Claude offered a hand and realized it indeed won't fit.

"Oh my. I almost forgot." Miss Weaver laughed once more. "When plans for a new body for me were being done, all the years I've spent on tests in the windmill, I planned for my new body to have to be wound up by a new key to prevent anyone from trying to steal it and some… how to say… Ah, other complications! So I meant to say, without 'A' key, we'd wouldn't be able to move!"

"Darn!" Claude said feeling like he failed Lucy somehow. "Where the hell is the other key you old witch? Because if you don't tell us…" Claude handed Lucy to Simon, took the key, and went over to the wall to encounter an open space full of grinding gears. "I will NOT hesitate to destroy this one and not afraid to! You WILL tell us where the other key is or you can go without yours!"

"Unfortunately for you and Miss Snow… Mister McGinty, I don't know where the key is… In fact, recently it got stolen. My engineers searched all over Hollow Fields for both the culprit and the key. I guess my plans to prevent such a thing from happening didn't work. Another failure I presume." Miss Weaver stepped forward. "But if you give the key back, I'll have some of my leftover steam drones looks all over again. This time not just searching place but from all the students and my test subjects cause you never know who stole it."

"We… we're never giving the key to you!" Lucy said glaring at Weaver. "You would still try to steal my body and you would hurt every kid you find just to see if they had the key or not."

"Then you three give me no choice!" Weaver said as the elbow part of her arms opened vertically to reveal mechanical drills. Miss Weaver had more than her claws to use against the three. "Maybe this will persuade all of you!" She sprinted towards Claude. Claude managed to avoid it. She was too fast for him though that throwing the key in would've gave her the opportunity to catch it before the gears could break it.

Lucy used leftover strength and slid out Dino. She got Dino to grab on to a pipe in the ceiling and Claude and Simon went over and held on to her as they attempted to avoid the mad woman from below.

"I'll distract her again while you get Francine and Doctor Bleak." Simon said as he jumped down and caught the evil principal's attention. "Hey! I escaped that rundown windmill once again! Come and get me!"

"I'll give twice worse punishment than a ball and chain!" Miss Weaver roared. Simon was quick and agile to keep away of Miss Weaver's attacks. The crook he held for defense was strong enough to last much longer than the shovel that broke in half. The crook was made of copper and other metals.

Lucy and Claude got down. Lucy ran toward Doctor Bleak and Francine where Weaver left them.

"There you are Lucy! Now let's get out of here! The quicker the better!" Bleak said.

"Right!" Lucy agreed. Claude was with his plan as well. Their plan was ruined as Weaver turned off one drill to free one of her mechanical hand and used it to grab Simon's crook and slam Simon to the floor knocking him out.

"SIMON!" Lucy screamed. Next thing she knew, Miss Weaver sprinted towards her and managed to use her drills to destroy Dino in Lucy's grip.

Next thing the both of them knew, Miss Weaver grabbed both of them (with both HANDS of course) and lifted them by the necks. "I'm losing my patience with the both of you BRATS!" Miss Weaver spat as Claude and Lucy struggled for air. Claude tried to get the wicked woman to loosen her grip. Lucy, already have dropped Doctor Bleak and Francine, did the same thing. She still had the key in her grip. "This little game of yours is OVER! I have no time to waste in this foolishness! Hand over the key or else you will face worse HELL than the windmill!" She threatened as she held the two out the window. It was a long drop down from the top of the tower and Weaver already ripped Dino to smithereens. "Hand over the key NOW!" She repeated.

…..

Carmen and Summer managed to evacuate the other kids and escort them to safety. Because one of the engineers destroyed the bridge, Carmen used her golem to make itself a bridge for the kids to climb over.

"About time we made it out of this mess! I'm getting sick and tired of this!" Said Summer relieved to be out of harms way. Carmen smiled timidly in response.

"Oh my gosh! What are those kids doing up Miss Weaver's tower?" A kid yelled as she pointed up at the tower.

"What is Miss Weaver doing with them?" Some other kid yelled. "I knew we had a crazy principal!"

Summer looked up. She used her bunny to summon built in binoculars and have a better look. She saw Lucy and Claude held out the window, by the necks, struggling for their lives in Miss Weaver's clutch.

"Lucy, Claude, and Simon are up there!" Carmen exclaimed. "Don't tell me those are-!"

"Miss Weaver has gone even more mad than when she declared two students would be sent to detention!" Summer said surprised. "If she drops McGinty and Snow, they're goners…"

"Nooo!" Carmen cried.

Next thing Summer knew, All the kids were staring, pointing, murmuring, and yelling seeing Claude and Lucy having to go through a life or death situation.

….

Miss Weaver had lost it, she still knew and remembered her policy for her academy but for one of the first or few times ever, she was more concentrated in getting a new body then anything else.

Claude and Lucy struggled for air as usual, Claude at least wanted a breath to spare at least more than the horrid witch letting go of him to face death by a fall. Lucy was putting in her efforts the same way but was losing strength not to lack of air, but her experimented body was giving out. Having no key to wind herself up, she was as much trouble as her friend was.

"You fools have no idea how great immortality would be for the world!" Miss Weaver snarled. "No one would have to live than die as a wrinkly, and ruined old abomination! Immortality preserves beauty and life wouldn't be so limited! In fact dieing would become a thing of the past or even a myth! It preserves energy and no one would have to worry about their age slowing them down!…. So hand over the key and I'll spare your lives."

Lucy used leftover strength to lift the key beside her. Claude saw what she was going to do.

Miss Weaver raised an eyebrow, she thought at first that Lucy was going to give the key to her. Lucy pretended that she was about to and then she suddenly threw it behind her toward a spot in the air where two missiles from the engineers fighting were about to collide.

"Over my dead body…." Lucy said.

Miss Weaver's eyes widened. Then….. BOOM! The missiles collided and the explosion did wreck the key to smithereens.

"No…. this can't… NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Miss Weaver screamed. In her failure to retrieve the key, she loosened her grip. This gave Claude the opportunity to slip out and take a hold of the window ledge. Lucy did the same but ended holding on to the edge of the windmill for dear life.

Miss Weaver stepped back away from where Claude and Lucy were. She then couldn't step back anymore as her body already wound up gave out.

Claude shifted his attention to Lucy who was losing strength trying to keep her grip on the edge. The rest of her body as she felt became immobile, she couldn't use her legs to support herself. She didn't feel numb but the rest of her body would not move.

"Lucy!" Claude yelled. He grabbed her wrists and she grabbed his. Claude struggled to pull her up. Lucy did her best keeping a grip. She knew she needed to help pull herself up as well, but more bad news as she realized she couldn't move her arms anymore. The only remaining part of her arms she could move was her hands.

"Don't let go!" Claude said.

"I can't pull myself up!" Lucy cried.

Claude did his best trying to use whatever strength he could use even if it really exhausted him. Claude was on the edge of joining Lucy for the fall.

"Claude your slipping!" Lucy cried. "for-"

"You better not say 'forget about me' just to save me!" Claude yelled. "There is no way I'm going let you die like this! A friend doesn't leave a friend behind!"

Lucy once again remembered rescuing Claude, now it was his turn to return the favor.

Claude was about to slip until someone caught him while he still had Lucy in his grip. It was Simon slowly pulling Claude and Lucy back up. Claude and Lucy spent a second catching their breath from their life and death situation.

"Thanks Simon! I thought you'd be out cold for much longer!" Claude said.

"Well what did I say? It's better to have the extra help!" Simon smiled.

Next thing the three knew, a missile hit the tower they were in and was already on the verge of collapse.

"Simon! Go get the box and Francine over there!" Claude ordered. Simon did so. "We're all getting out of here!" He said as he picked up Lucy.

Claude and Simon rushed out of the room while Claude carried Lucy also taking her as well as himself out of harms way.

(now guess how Lucy is being carried? ^^)

…

Summer, Carmen, and the crowd of other kids watched as Miss Weaver's tower collapsed from one of the missiles one of the engineers launched. The fighting had already stopped as it seemed the academy was wrecked enough and maybe some engineers gave up while others were killed.

"The tower is collapsing! Lucy, Claude, and Simon are in there!" Carmen exclaimed.

"Well if they're in there, they be as flat as pancakes by now."

The tower was reduced to rubble and dust. Some parts were still standing but not as much someone would recognize as once being a wall. Dust from the impact was flung everywhere.

"Nothing's moving…" Summer said.

"You think the engineers have all just… gone?"

"Maybe…. I don't see anymore missiles or anything popping out to demolish everything else."

"What about Lucy, Claude, and Simon…?"

"Like I said, they might not have made it out… I'm not worried…"

"How could you not be Summer? Seriously!"

"Because…"

Carmen glared for a sec than she saw two forms approaching out of the dust. She couldn't believe her eyes at first until all the dust cleared.

Simon was walking alongside Claude who was carrying Lucy bridal style with normal expressions as if nothing happened.

Carmen cheered while Summer just crossed her arms.

As the three made it out of the entrance, so did two other survivors and they were Stinch and Miss Notch.

Simon jumped over the golem to cross to the other side while Claude, with Lucy, joined him. Carmen ran over. "Francine?"

"Carmen? Is that you?" Said the girl trapped in the personality container.

Claude concluded that at least everyone escaped Hollow Fields unharmed.

"Sorry for making you carry me." Lucy apologized. She felt bad for Claude having to go taking risks while he was occupied with other things. He fought the windmill kids while trying to protect Lucy's personality container and protecting Lucy from those experimented children.

"Hmm? It's nothing… Don't feel bad. I'd carried you cause you can't move right?" Claude said. He smiled hoping that will uplift her.

Lucy blushed for a second. Then she gave a sad expression. "What are we going to do about this? How am I going to go on with life not even being able to walk or being able to move at all? If I try to go home, how am I going to explain to my parents what happened and…. What I've become now?"

Claude frowned. He felt bad for her. Because of what Miss Weaver's experiments have done to her, she was left helpless and having to suffer from not only the same problem that witch principal was going through with the dumb key, but having to possibly go through life as an experimented kid. It was thank god Lucy got her memories back but the rest of her life will never be the same unless either someone has found that other key or just fixed her body the same way the engineers turned her into this by Miss Weaver's orders. Surgery to turn her human again would take time though. Maybe the way they put in the different mechanisms for her to run on energy only from the winding gears while giving off steam might be so complex to remove for they could've replaced some of her original organs.

Claude knew Miss Weaver's horrible tests done on poor Lucy was worse enough for the body. Not only has she become immobilized, things could get worse if she were left this way. Claude was sure the worst is yet to come if Lucy is left helpless like this and noticed a change in how much steam from the hole acting as a steam vent on her back was blowing out a bit less steam than usual. Could've been caused the gears slowing down or it did this because of Lucy's emotions. Claude wasn't sure.

"Miss Weaver's engineers experimented on Lucy have they?" Doctor Bleak asked.

Claude turned to Doctor Bleak being held by Simon.

"Yes… you do know a way to turn her back to normal again right?" Claude begged. "More importantly… do you know a way to help Lucy without having to find that other key?"

"I'm afraid there is no other way. Miss Weaver's experiments redesigned Lucy's body here to rely on the key to get her on the move and nothing else…"

"No way! Are you sure?" Claude didn't want this to be true.

"I believe so. I never heard of Miss Weaver's plans for her next body she'd use up until earlier. Miss Weaver with her original body construct consisting of gears activated by a mechanism of winding them up with a key yet with energy lasting a short time…. I can't believe she'd choose Lucy of a lot of other students to use for her selfish immortal desires. Lucy also has a steam vent for extra energy as you and I found out… I'd know how to fix the rest of what Miss Weaver's tests has done to her but right now, there's nothing we can do about the side effects of Lucy's unwound inner gears put in her."

"Then what can you do?" Claude yelled. "Other things might happen to her if she's left like this. We can't just wait for someone right now to fix the rest of her body! Who knows! Her heart might all of a sudden stop or something after a couple of days without the key!"

"Claude calm down…" Lucy said.

"But Lucy…!"

"Even if we don't find the key… I'll be fine. Doctor Bleak knows a lot about clockwork and other stuff."

"Lucy is right." Doctor Bleak reassured. "And I can pinpoint the location of Lucy's key. Like I tried pinpointing Miss Weaver's earlier!"

"You can?" Lucy and Claude exclaimed.

"I've been trying to track Miss Weaver's ever since Lucy entered Hollow Fields! So there's nothing to worry about!"

"So…" Lucy wondered. "You were pinpointing Miss Weaver's key all this time while I was in classes?"

"Of course!" Said Doctor Bleak. "Now I'm going to try and locate that key!" Doctor Bleak's box made some noises other than ticking like a clock, the gears inside him made squeaky noises and his box gave off beeping noises.

"…"

"Well?" Claude asked.

"Strange… the key is right near us!" Doctor Bleak answered.

"What do you mean near? It can't be-" Just when Claude was about to finish his sentence, he spots a familiar windmill kid fighting his way through the crowd of students. It's the same kid that took Dino. "Out of my way! Cursed humans! You'll never have this!" Even though the students didn't know what the heck he was doing, he had a few contraptions in his grip which were more of leftover junk he collected than of any importance. The only important thing he had was a key similar to Miss Weaver only with a different shape at the end.

"YOU!" Claude exclaimed.

"Hmm? You AGAIN?" The kid screamed. "You were one of the rest that tricked me! My collection has been destroyed because of the engineers! But the ones mostly at fault is you! You can't have anymore of my collection! It's mine! MINE! ALL MINE!"

"Is that a key you got in that tool box?" Claude asked.

"It is! One of the most important parts to my collection! It very shiny… and it's mine!"

"Where did you get that?"

"From that green guy over there a week ago!" The kid pointed.

Stinch glanced in reaction to the kid. "HEY!" Stinch yelled. "You're the one that stole that key from me! I was lookin' for ya!"

"Catch me if you can you pile of-!" The crazy kid was interrupted as his hood was harshly tugged by Simon who dragged him towards Claude. Simon was too fast for the kid. His sudden actions cause the kid to drop the tool box full of junk yet grab for the key holding it for dear life.

"So what will it be?" Claude said. "You hand over the key or you receive Simon's wrath?"

The crazy kid glanced at both Claude and Simon who had an evil smirk fixed on his shadowy face. Simon liked where Claude's quick plan was going along.

The kid sweated while he panicked a bit. He obviously had no choice.

"Eh heh! I'll find more things maybe better than this shiny thing!" He handed the key to Claude while nervously smiling. The kid than ran back into the already ruined Hollow Fields grounds.

"Hey Claude?" Lucy asked.

"Yes?" Claude responded.

"There's a certain memory I recalled when I got Dino back… I got to say… um…. Did you hug me after I went out of control on Meg?" Lucy's face was turning red from both bringing this up and just the thought of this. Claude blushed but turned his face away.

"Well… I….. uh… you know….. Okay fine I did but back then you didn't have memories so… you know…" Claude was too embarrassed to say anymore but he added. "Keep this between us despite Simon and the rest have witnessed it!"

"Okay!" Lucy smiled.

Claude realized he was off track. "Oh that's right! The key!" Claude set Lucy in sitting position and inserted the key into the keyhole on her back. After a few twists, Lucy's inner gears began to work again. Lucy found the energy to stand.

"How do you feel?" Claude asked.

"Refreshed! I can move again! Yippee!" Lucy cheered.

Claude smiled glad that Lucy is alright and able to move again.

The rest of the crowd of kids decided to head back to the leftover ruins of their beloved academy. Some of the kids were not sure if they want to go back to there or go home. Summer decided she wanted to go back to Hollow Fields having Carmen work as her henchman again. Of course Carmen refused, thus Summer stormed her way back alone.

There some leftover surviving engineers that did not join the fight. Those such as Miss Scurt who found Mister Croach's living remains, such as his head. He wasn't too happy…. OBVIOUSLY!

Doctor Bleak told Simon who was carrying him to bring him to where the other kids are going. Lucy, Claude, and Carmen followed. Simon stood up on a pile of rubble to make himself visible. He held up Doctor Bleak who announced that with some help, Hollow Fields will be rebuilt, this time the academy will be run by him since he is the true owner of the entire school. Summer didn't like the idea but Doctor Bleak told her that if she doesn't apply, her grades will go down (also because of other stuff she's done) and will go on her permanent record. The ditsy surrendered. Hollow Fields was no longer going to accept teaching forbidden science for misuse by evil. The academy was going to be reformed to the point where forbidden science will be used for good, to help others, and to discover new things without cruelty.

Most of the students and engineers agreed to this. Reformation was important for the students for they needed Miss Weaver's way of sending those to detention abolished. No longer should there be kids sent to the windmill just for having grades lowest compared to the rest. No longer will their be secret projects going on in the windmill for this time, there will be no windmill or a place to conduct such cruel experiments. Detention will be handled and enforced the normal way like and ordinary normal school would.

Other things were going to be reformed and improved as well.

Claude realized earlier that Miss Notch injected a stinger into his shoulder cause he felt painful tingle that got worse the farther he got from Hollow Fields. Obviously he had no choice (until someone gets the stinger off him) but to stay at the academy when it gets rebuilt.

"What are you going to do Lucy?" Claude asked.

Lucy smiled. "I think I'll stay here! I entered this school, even if it was by accident, I can't just leave this place. And I like attending here more than other schools I've been sent to.. I mean… this is a real thrill! Plus, I don't like leaving friends behind.. And I don't have to!"

Claude smiled. "Looks like I'm going to have to help wind you up with this key when your body is running out of energy again!"

"Eh?" Lucy's face turned red. "I think I can handle err… myself… really!"

Claude laughed. Lucy stared a little embarrassed and then smiled.

…

And so through out less than 3 years, Hollow Fields was rebuilt and students spent a few years attending with much better to expect. No longer was the school run by a harsh system Miss Weaver organized.

As for Claude and Lucy, they spent most of the years near each other. They help each other with homework and other projects. Life seemed normal again only with a change. Carmen and Simon attended. Carmen became friends with Claude and Lucy while Claude finally began to fully trust Simon.

Claude didn't just help Lucy with homework, but also with winding up when she needed it. Lucy kept the key with her at all times. Sometimes she let Claude carry it. Also, thanks to some surgery Doctor Bleak hired engineers to perform on Lucy to turn her human again step by step, Lucy looks almost like herself again. They corrected her skin and eye color, replaced artificial and inefficient organs engineers working for Miss Weaver inserted inside her with organ made of flesh (some donated, some restored from dead ones and some produced from cells), and made sure Lucy's body was working well and not experiencing aftermath complications from surgery or her experimented body (such as maybe some leftover artificial organs in her all of a sudden stopped working because another was replaced or something). Currently working on a way to get rid of the last leftover inner gears that connects to Lucy's steam vent and keyhole, Lucy is still bound to depend on energy from winding gears.

*Lucy's room*

Lucy yawned as the morning sunlight lit her room through the window. Next to her bed was a small dresser and on top, her wind up key. She had leftover wind up energy to get up from yesterday. She got herself dressed in her school uniform, got her materials together for classes, picked up the key and headed out for breakfast. In the halls was Claude waiting for her at the cafeteria entrance.

"Morning Claude!" Lucy greeted.

"Good Morning." Claude replied. "Got the key with you?"

"Always!" Lucy handed the key to him.

"Going to be another busy day. We got some projects to hand in for Doctor Bleak and Miss Scurt's class. Hope you got yours done."

"Yup!" Lucy smiled.

Claude finished twisting the key and gave it back to Lucy. After that they continued with the rest of the school day….

….

End


End file.
